


a taste of destiny

by OneshotPrincess



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Mindless Fluff, Paopu Fruit (Kingdom Hearts), Riku being stupidly in love, Sora being a gremlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26595469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneshotPrincess/pseuds/OneshotPrincess
Summary: “Alright,” Riku digs into the divots of the fruits and presses until the flesh gives way. It breaks apart easily in his hands, spilling juice across his fingers. “Here,” Riku hands half the fruit to Sora who takes it with a grin.“One the count of three?”Or, yet another Sora and Riku finally share the paopu fic, with mixed results.
Relationships: Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 110





	a taste of destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @KamikazeWorld on twitter for coming up with the title! What a gem <3 I wrote this for a tumblr prompt to practice writing Soriku.

The funniest thing is that Riku can’t even really remember who it was that told him about the paopu fruit story in the first place. It’s a local legend, of course, but he thinks it might have been Selphie who really put it in the forefront of his mind, teasing and sighing and fantasizing about forever, until all Riku could really think about was having that certainty with Sora, always.

Right now, looking at the ripe, yellow fruit in his hands, it all seems a bit silly. 

“You good?” Riku’s broken out of his thoughts by Sora cheerfully settling down beside him on the bent tree, having seen Kairi off to the docks. They will be leaving tomorrow for the Land of Departure and, at Sora’s suggestion, they spent their last day on the play island. They always seem to come back here, in the end.

“Yeah,” Riku swallows. “Yeah, just...are you sure you want to do this?”

Sora blinks at him, blue eyes glowing in the reflection of the sunset. “What’s not to be sure about?”

“No, no, not like that!” Riku is quick to clarify. “I just don’t think it matters to me anymore, you know? I don’t need a paopu fruit to know that our destinies are intertwined.”

Riku has so much more than that, now. He knows the melody of their hearts, always playing in the background of their lives, barely audible unless Riku actively listens for it, but it’s there nonetheless. He has their Dream Eater link, proof that Riku kept his promise to protect Sora. Riku has Sora’s words and Sora’s affections, freely expressed at all times of the day; ‘I love yous’ both softly-spoken and exuberantly-declared and so many kisses that Riku’s lost count, even though he promised himself that he wouldn’t.

There are doubts, there will always be doubts when it comes to himself, Riku thinks ruefully, but after everything the two of them have been through, a paopu fruit can’t possibly bind them tighter together than they’re already bound.

Riku sees Sora’s shoulders slump a little in relief before Sora starts cooing, “Aw, Riku! Look at you, trying to act all cool and mature.”

Riku flushes. “Shut up,” he grumbles. “I was just saying…”

Sora favors him with a soft, fond look. “I know, doofus,” Sora says. “But I just thought, we’re not gonna be coming back here for a long time, you know? We’ve said all our goodbyes and everything. It’d feel weird, to leave without sharing one. Like unfinished business.”

Settling in the Land of Departure isn’t something any of them planned on but it just seems like the logical next step in their life. Destiny Islands will always be their first home, the place some part of their hearts will always long to return to, but none of them fit here anymore. To care about mundane everyday things like school and homework and getting a job seems impossible for them now. Trying to go back to Destiny Islands’ version of normal is like forcing puzzle pieces into places where they don’t belong. Even their parents seem to accept this, letting them leave for the Land of Departure with a lot of tears, but very few protests. It feels like...he can’t quite describe it. Like the end of a chapter but also the beginning of a newer, bigger one. Starting it off with a tradition seems fitting. 

(And, okay, in the privacy of his own mind, Riku can admit that he likes it. He likes that Sora asked him, especially since he knows Sora’s already shared one with Kairi. Riku’s not proud of it but it is what it is.)

“Alright,” Riku agrees. He digs into the divots of the fruits and presses until the flesh gives way. It breaks apart easily in his hands, spilling juice across his fingers. “Here,” Riku hands half the fruit to Sora who takes it with a grin.

“One the count of three?” Sora asks and Riku shrugs his acquiescence. 

“One..two...three.”

The taste hits Riku like a full-strength Thundaga, straightening his spine and puckering his lips with just the first bite. Saliva fills his mouth, his body valiantly trying to rally its defenses against the offensive taste while Riku tries valiantly to not spit everything out. That is, until he sees Sora’s expression. 

With great difficulty, he swallows the piece of paopu in his mouth and gapes at Sora, who’s laughing his head off.

“You—” There are no words for the strength of the betrayal he feels but Riku figures he has to make an effort anyway, lest Sora think he’s going to get away with it. “You knew! That it tastes like—like—”

“Like shit?” Sora laughs. “Oh, yeah. Man, you should have seen your face! Worse than Kairi’s, I think.”

“I can’t believe you!” 

“Hey, I had to suffer through it! So did Kairi! Why should you be exempt from the awful taste of destiny?” 

“Oh, I’ll show you awful, alright!” The very best part about dating Sora is that Riku’s learning every day how to stop thinking and simply follow his heart. And right now, his heart’s telling him to take the paopu fruit and smash it right against Sora’s stupid, lovely, playful grin.

“Riku!” The smug grin is wiped right off Sora’s face, who sputters indignantly as pieces of fruit and juice dribble down his chin. Riku watches as Sora catches a taste of the sour and scrunches up his face. 

Awful, Riku thinks, that Sora should still look so adorable while being the little gremlin he is.

“You’re such a sore loser, Riku,” Sora’s voice is muffled as he attempts to wipe away the excess juice. 

“No, I’m not. You promised to share the fruit,” Riku reminds him smugly. “And now we’ve shared it.” 

Sora gives him a look sour enough to rival the paopu, as if this whole thing wasn’t _his_ idea to start with. 

“Well,” Riku sighs. His hands are tacky with paopu fruit juice. He lets the rest of the fruit fall to the sand below them. “At least now we know why the legend came about.”

“Huh?”

“If you love someone enough to make it through eating this thing, you’ll make it through anything. Forever’s going to be a piece of cake,” Riku declares, giving Sora a smile.

Riku can see the exact moment Sora’s expression changes from surprise to fond to mischievous. It’s an expression so familiar to Riku that he wonders how he was roped into this fruit thing in the first place. Man, Selphie really must have done a number on Riku.

“Hey Riku,” Sora grins and Riku knows exactly what’s coming. He plays along anyway.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” Sora leans in and Riku really should stop it before it happens but it’s their last day on Destiny Islands, the sun is almost gone and even when Sora’s being a brat, Riku is so, so weak for him. 

Riku meets him halfway. It’s the sourest kiss Riku’s ever had in his life. And, somehow, it’s also the sweetest.

**Author's Note:**

> I see your pure sunshine boi Soras and raise...absolute mischievous gremlin boi Sora...
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!


End file.
